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T. P. BROWN.

MUSIC SHEET GUIDING DEVlCE.

APPLICATION HLEU' JAN. 2], I915.

Patented May 13, 1919.

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MUSIC SHEET GUIDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION 11.50 m4. 2!. 1915.. 1 303 250.

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THEODOBE P. BROWN, 0]? WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 SIMPLEX PLAYER ACTION COMPANY, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA-- TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

MUSIC-SHEET-GUIDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Ma 13, 1919.

. Application filed January 27, 1915. Serial No. 4,678.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE P, BROWN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Vorcester, in the county of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in lVIusic-Sheet-Guiding Devices, of which the following, together with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

The present invention relates to music sheet guiding devices, such as are used in automatic musical instruments to maintain the correct registration of the perforations of the music or note sheet with the corresponding apertures in the tracker, bar of the instrument.

In common with other apparatus .designed for this purpose, my invention contemplates relative shifting movement be tween the tracker bar and the note sheet; however, the operation of the same is distinguished from the operation of such other apparatus in its ability to more truly maintain the note sheet in proper alinement, rather than to bring about its readjustment after it has become materially displaced. In the attainment of such a result I have taken into account certainconditions, variable in their nature, which have militated against the successful practicaloperation of previously constructed devices of this class with a view to theautomatic adaptation of the mechanism to such conditions as they arise in the travel of the music sheet across the tracker bar.

The present invention contemplates the utilization of an edge ofthe tracking note sheet for varying the flow of air through a such an adjustment of the sheet, responsive as it isto the course followed by an edge of said sheet, aifords'no such efficient and accurate an alinement of the tracking movement, as would be afforded by anadjustment responsive to the longitudinal course of the center line of the sheet, which latter adjustment, by reason of the equal division of the tracker bar and sheet apertures on either side of said center line, would obsaid sheet.

In one of its aspects, the present invention is concerned with the provision of mechanism by which, for all practical purposes, the control of the shifting devices by the previously referred to tracking movement of the edge of the sheet, is made the equivalent of the more expensive and complicated center line control; in other words, the control of the relative positions of the sheet and tracker bar is caused to partake of all the advantages which would accrue, from an adjustment based on and responsive to the deviation of the center line of the music sheet from the transverse center line of the tracker bar. Inanother of its aspects, my invention is concerned with the automatic ru'laptation of the tracking control mechanism to music sheets of different widths. In still other of its aspects; my invention resides in certain improved pneumatic devices, having capabilities of action necessary to the accomplishment of the above and other desirable'results, and in the combination and association of such devices with other mechanism employed in securing such results with the least possible complication of parts. a v v The various features of my invention are fully set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in 'which,'

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a tracking control mechanism of a piano player having my invention applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is atop plan view of the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1.

3 is a fragmentary view of one end of the mechanism. I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the other end of the mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a view of the rear-"side of the tracker bar and the associated parts carried thereby.

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through one of the improved actuating pneumatics used in carrying out my invention, and

Fig. 7 is a view in horizontal cross section of one end of the tracker bar.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts in the different figures.

The reference numerals 1 and 2 designate the frame members usually provided in automediate perforated. tracker. bar 5...

matic musical instrui'nents for the support of themusicspools 3 and 4 and the interspool 3, upon which the note sheet is drawn in the operatlon of the instrument, is per-ma nently Journaled 1n the said frames, being provided with the usual means, not shown,

strument when desired, and to this end the frame member 1 carries a longitudinally movable shaft 6, the outer reduced end of which is extended through a bracket 7 on the outside of said frame. A spring 8 surrounding said shaft, and disposed-between the bracket 7 and a shoulder 9 on said shaft, operates to 'yieldingly maintain the inner end of said shaft toward the right in Fig. 1. The heads of each spool 4"are recessed to receive the inner end of shaft 6, and the inner end'of an axially alined shaft 10, carried by theother frame member 2, whereby to provide for the rotative mounting of saidspool.

The'insertion' of each spool 4 is effected by in the other end of said spool with the inner end of shaft 10. WVhen the spool is in position, theforce of spring 8 yieldingly main-' tains the spool in centered position with reas th'elatter isreeledonto the spool 3 from the spool 4 in the usual manner, serves for the supportof adjustable apertures 12 and 13, located beyond the ends of the series of note apertures 11, and in operative tracking relation to the edges of the note sheet, as

shown in Fig. 1. Said apertures are preferably constituted by the bores of small tubular members 14, each passing through an elongatedslot 15 extending longitudt nally of the tracker bar at each end of the same. The tubular members 14 are carried by sliding plates 16, each disposed within an elongated recess 17 onthe rear face ofthe tracker bar, said plates being yieldingly retained within said recesses by leaf springs 18, or the like, permitting limited movement thereof, longitudinally of the tracker bar-,to carry the apertures 12 and 13 back and forth within the'slots 15. "To this end each plate 16 has a rearwardly extended tongue 19 with which a reciprocatingactuating mem 'ber, hereinafter more specifically referred to, has an adjustable connection. Each tubular member 14 extends entirely through its supporting plate 16, to provide for the attachmentfthereto of'a flexible tube 20, leading to the pneumatic mechanism about to be described.

The

The tube 20 from the aperture 12 leads to an actuating pneumatic, designated as a whole by the numeral 21, and the other tube 20 from the aperture13 leads to'a similar actuating pneumatic 22, each of said pneumatics being preferablysecured to. the stationary framework of the tracking mechanism,rin positions corresoondingtothe locations of their respective tracker bar apertures. These pneumatics are constructed precisely alike, so that a description of. one of them will suffice for both. Each comprises an inner stationary leaf 23 for attachment to'the framework, the said leaf providing an interior recess 24 with which the airintake tube 20 communicates. A screen 25 of felt, or other porous material, covers said recess, to prevent the passage of paper, lint, or the like, to the vacuumfchamber 26 of said pneumatic, which is formed between said stationary leaf 23 and a movable leaf 27. On the other side of said movable leaf 27 is disposed a second stationary leaf 28,

nected rigidly togetherby an 'exterior tie bar The movable leaves v27 of both;

pneumatics have passages 31 therein from which lead tubes communicating," as

shown in' Fig. 2, with a common exhausting device 33. Each )assa 'e 31 has a restricted bleed aperture connecting it with -.the larger vacuum [chamber 26, and" an unthrottled port 35 7 connecting it with the smaller "vacuum chamber 29.

"The movable leaf 27 of pneumatic 21 has securedto its lower end a member 36', havinga curved arm 37against which the outer end 'of shaft 10 is constantly pressed by the expansive force of spring '8. The face of said arm against which the shaft 10' 'bearshas' a gradual outward curvature'm' a direction away from said shaft, so that when the movable leaf 27 of pneumatic 21 is'drawn toward the stationary 1eaf28 the spring8 is permitted 'to move the spool 4 to the right in Figs. land 2, while when said leaf 27 is drawn toward the stationary leaf 23, thearm arrows the said spool to the left; against the yielding resistance of said spring. 1 v

The movableleaf 27 of the pneumatic22 has secured to its lower end an arm 38 to which is adjustably attached a rod" 39 extending forwardly and downwardly for pivotal .connection to an arm 40 of'a horizontally disposed bell crank lever, pivoted at 41 upon a bracket 42. A link rod 43 is pivotally connected to the other arm 44 of said bell crank lever, the other end of said link rod being turned outwardly for pivotal connection with a vertically disposed lever 45, pivoted at 46 upon a bracket 17. At equal distances on each side of the pivot 16, are pivotally connected the reciprocating actuating members 48 and 49,

adjustably attached to the sliding plates 16 carrying the tubular members 14:, which furnish the adjustable apertures 12 and 13 respectively. By reason of this connection, the rocking of the lever 15 in a clockwise direction, Fig. 1, produced when the movable leaf 27 of pneumatic is drawn toward the larger stationary leaf 23, causes the simultaneous outward movement of both apertures 12 and 13 away from the center of the tracker bar, while the reverse move ment of said lever, produced when the leaf 27 is drawn toward the smaller leaf 28, causes simultaneous movement of said apertures toward each other.

The operation of my improved device is as follows :Disregarding for the time being the action of the pneumatic 22, it will be understood that when the automatic musical instrument is in operation, and the sheet is tracking normally, the right hand edge of said sheet will leave uncovered a portion of the aperture l2'equal in area to the bleed opening 31 which connects the chamber 26 of pneumatic 21 with the exhaustin apparatus. Under these conditions, wlth a continuous flow of air through said apertures 12 and 34, the leaf 27 of said pneumatic 21 maintains an intermediate position between the stationary leaves 23 and 28, since the supply of air through the aperture 12 is just sufficient to replenish that drawn through the opening 34. The partial vacuum in the chamber 26 acting on the large area of the leaf 27 exposed in said chamber, balances the stronger vacuum in the chamber 29 which acts on the smaller area of the leaf 27 exposed therein. A deflection of the note sheet to the right, Fig. 1, from any cause whatsoever, restricts the effective area of aperture 12, or even entirely closes the same to the passage of air. As a consequence of the reduction in the quantity of air drawn through the bleed 34, the increased degree of vacuum in the chamber 26 becomes sufficient to draw the leaf 27 toward the leaf 23, causing the movement of the spool 4 to the left, by the action thereon of the curved cam face of the arm 37. On the other hand, should the note sheet move too far to the left, permitting more air to pass into the aperture 12 than can be withdrawn through the bleed 34, the tension in the chamber 26 decreases, whereby the pull of said chamber on the leaf 27 falls below the pull exerted on said leaf by the chamber 29, with the result that the said leaf 27 is drawn toward the leaf 28. Under the force of the spring8, the spool 4 is moved to the right, since the arm 37 by the movement of the leaf 27, above described, gradually presents the more remote portions of its outwardly inclined face to the end of shaft 10.

In connection with the operation of the sheet adjusting mechanism above described, it is to be particularly noted that there is a direct and uninterrupted con'nnunication throu 11 this single pneumatic system, which is sub ect to no relaying of pneumatic effects by primary valve actions or the like; that this insures a maximum responsiveness and rapidity of operation, to the extent that there is an actual maintenance of the note sheet in proper alinement, as distinguished from a readjustment inaugurated only after a substantial displacen'ient has occurred. In other words, the adjustment is effected by an undulating pressure, tending to cause movement first in one direction and then in the other; and it will be seen that the peculiar construction of the actuating pneumatic, whereby two forces are exerted continuously in opposite directions upon a movable actuating member, and whereby the relation between such forces is varied, lends itself most effectually to the attainment of the desired result.

Referring now to the action of the second pneumatic 22, it will be understood that when the sheet is tracking normally, the left hand edge of said sheet will leave uncovered a portion of the aperture 13 equal in area to the bleed opening 3% connecting the chamber 26 of pneumatic 22 with the exhausting apparatus. So long as such normal conditions prevail, the forces acting on the leaf 27 of said pneumatic will balance each other; but coincident with the arrival of either a swollen or a contracted section of the sheet in the vicinity of the tracker bar, of such a nature to uncover a greater or less area of the aperture 13, the balance in said pneumatic is upset, causing a joint simultaneous movement of the two apertures 12 and 13, away from, or toward the center of the tracker bar, tending to restore immediately the previously existing pneumatic balance by again establishing an equality between the effective areas of the apertures 12 and 13 with their respective bleed ports 34. It will be seen that such action effec-- tually compensates for the inherent inability of the sheet adjusting mechanism to operate properly under the changing conditions arising in the actual playing of a piece of music; in other words, such action prevents an improper and unnecessary action on the part of the pneumatic 21, which would otherwise take'place, even though the sheet were tracking in perfect registration and alinement, when a swollen or contracted section of the right hand dge passed over the aperture 12. Furthermore, by the provision of this aperture 'adjustin mechanism, the device as a whole is enab ed to adjust itself automatically to sheets of different widths from the very beginning of the playing of such sheets. Most important of all, from the standpoint of a perfect tracking adjustment, the conjoint effect of the operation of the two pneumatics 21 and 22 and their associated mechanism furnishes a note sheet adjustment which, for all practical purposes, is the equivalent of an adjustment responsive to the deviations of the center line of the note sheet from the transverse center line of the tracker bar. Clearly, the tendency of the apertures 12 and 13 at all times to assume positions coinciding with the respective edges of th sheet, or, in other words, positionsat equal distances from the center line of said sheet, has the effect of establishing a tracking relation between the aperture 12 and the right hand edge of the sheet which is really the tracking relation between the center line of the sheet and ,th transverse center line of the tracker bar. As a consequence, the operation of the sheet adjusting pneumatic 21 is responsive to the deviations of said center line, rather than to the deviations of said right band edge.

I claim: 7

1. Tracking control mechanism for piano players, including a pneumatic having a single movable leaf, with unequal, tension areas on opposite sides of said leaf, the forces acting on said leaf being balanced when the sheet is tracking normally, Whereby a positive force is exerted in each direction to maintain the sheet in normal tracking relation, means for varying the force acting on one side of said leaf to restore the normal tracking movement of said sheet, and a common suction device operable on both sides of said movable leaf.

2. Tracking control mechanism for piano players or the like, including a pneumatic for effecting relative lateral'movementbetween the sheet and the tracker bar, means 1 for continuously maintaining a tension on both sides of the movable'leaf of said pneumatic, the tension areas on opposite sides of said leaf being unequal, and means for varying the tension on one side of said movable leaf in proportion to the extent of lateral deviation of the sheet, so as to produce a continuously undulating pressure in said pneumatic during the playing of a piece of music.

3. Tracking control mechanism for piano players or the like, including a part having an aperture which is partially open and partially covered by the music sheet in the normal position of the latter, a single pneumatic having a chamber of which said aperture constitutes an admission port, whichis varied in area as the sheet shifts laterally, and having another chamber of different tension area opposing the action of said first mentioned chamber, whereby a positive force is exerted in each direction to maintain the sheet in normal tracking relation,

ting a difference in tension in said chambers to effect relative movement between said music sheet and said apertured part.

4:. Tracking control mechanism for piano players or the like, including a single pneumatic providing a chamber having air admission and exhaust ports which are equal in area when the sheet is tracking normally, and providing a second chamber of different tension area exerting a constant force in opposition to the force exerted by said first chamber, whereby a positive force is exerted in. each direction to maintain the sheet in normal tracking relation, and means for transmitting a difference in tension between said chambers to maintain correct tracking position of said sheet.

5. Tracking control mechanism for piano players or the like, including a single pneumatic providing a chamber having air admission and exhaust ports, the area of at least one of said ports being constant, and -thearea of the other variable, and providing a second chamber of different tension area exerting its force in opposition to the force exerted by said first chamber, whereby a positive force is exerted to maintain the sheet in normal trackingirelation, means tending continuouslyin all positions of the pneumatic to balance the forces exerted by said chambers when the sheet is tracking normally, and means for transmitting a difference in tension between said chambers to restore the normal tracking position of said sheet.

, 6. Tracking control mechanism for piano players or'the like, including a pneumatic providing a chamber having air admission and exhaust ports, and providing a second chamber of different tension area opposed to said firstchamber, a suction device communicating with said exhaust port and with said second chamber, said admission port being equal in area to said exhaust port when the sheet is tracking normally, and being varied in area as the sheet shifts laterally, and means for transmitting a difference in tension between said chambers to restore the normal tracking position of said sheet. Y

7. Tracking control mechanism for pianoarea as said sheet shifts laterally, a common suction device connected to the exhaust ports of said chambers, and means for transmit 'a suction device operating simultaneously on. V I said two chambers, and means for transmitting a diiference in tension between said chambers to restore the normal tracking position of said sheet.

8. Tracking control mechanism for piano players or the like, including a pneumatic providing a single movable leaf acted upon by unequal tension areas, means for maintaining a constant tension on one of said areas, means, responsive to a lateral shifting of the note sheet, for varying the tension on the other of said areas whereby to shift said movable leaf, and means for transmitting the movement of said leaf to restore the normal tracking position of said note sheet.

9. Tracking control mechanism of the character described, comprising a member providing an aperture which is partially open and partially covered by the music sheet in the normal position of the latter, a pneumatic of which said aperture constitutes an admission port which is varied in area as the sheet shifts laterally, means operable by said pneumatic for restoring the normal tracking relation between said sheet and said aperture in the event of a deflection, and pneumatic means for procuring relative movement between said aperture and the center line of said sheet, whereby the operation of the mechanism is unaffected by variations in the lateral dimension of the sheet.

Dated this 22nd day of January, 1915.

, THEODORE P. BROWN. Witnesses:

PENELOPE COMBERBACH, NELLIE WHALEN;

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patentl,

Washington, D. 0. 

